Well, it’s certainly been a ride, hasn’t it? Barring some Hail Mary miracle, Nashville will be coming to an end tonight. I can’t quite believe this all started 8 months ago for me. There I was, late at night, innocently re-watching old Whose Line clips on YouTube like I had done so many times before for the past 10 years. How was I to know that it would somehow lead me to something entirely different? I was completely blindsided by this show, and especially by these two characters (and the actors who portray them) depicted here. Sometimes I wish I could do it all over again, properly this time, instead of watching clips out of order and out of context.

There is so much I want to say that I couldn’t possibly cover it in this one post. I’m thankful to Chip for helping me discover a show and a slew of music I never would’ve given a chance otherwise. I’m angry at some of the people behind the scenes who did not allow this show to live up to its potential, for whatever the reason. I hope another network will take a chance on it and the new showrunners’ vision because I think the fans and especially everyone who has poured their heart and soul into this project, deserve a proper ending. In the past, 3 of my favorite shows (Roswell, Damages, The Killing) have been saved following cancellation, so I don’t think the situation is entirely hopeless. The key difference, however, is that all three of those shows were still great at the time they were cancelled…they just lacked the necessary viewership. But regardless of what happens, you haven’t seen the last of me regarding this couple. I am certain you will still find new Nashville wallpapers on this blog long after it’s over. (This particular wallpaper was originally supposed to include the whole main cast, but suffice it to say I couldn’t find the motivation. Sorry.)

2016 Fan Art Challenge: 37/52

Next: I’m actually not sure. It will definitely either be something new for my final ATLAS series, or something for Bates Motel.

The first, and probably not the last, Nashville wedding wallpaper. I still haven’t seen the whole episode, but I’m sure it’s as beautiful as all the images are. However, there is so much wrong with this show. Deacon & Maddie’s relationship was one of the best parts of the series. Now we’re probably in the last season, and they’ve totally ruined that despite Maddie finally getting all she ever wanted. Also, will Deacon & Rayna ever write and perform together this season? Even though they have talked about doing that again more than once? Doesn’t seem like it. I’m starting to realize that back when they weren’t together, having them write/sing together was a surefire way to create tension. Now that they’re married, there’s no such tension there, so of course the show won’t go there.

Anyway, the Normero wedding tonight! Two of my ships getting married in the span of one week? When is the last time that happened? (Answer: Never.) Doesn’t really matter, since neither union will likely be happy for long. But let’s enjoy this while it lasts.

Can it really be? Is this the last piece of the ATLAS: SPACE series? In the end, I chose to make an Animorphs wallpaper with Kiernan Shipka as Rachel and Miles Heizer as Tobias. I’m still not 100% happy with this “casting” choice, but I’m happy with how it turned out aesthetically. I was able to find pics of them that really fit my vision for the wallpaper. These two were my first ship ever, back when I was about 10 years old. (I’m totally dating myself here.) I’ve seen some comments on Tumblr that are along the lines of, “When Rachel & Tobias are your first ship, you know you’re in for a long, hard road of shipping.” Ain’t that the truth. All of my OTPs since have that one thing that really connects them to each other, that one little thing where you watch them and think, “Those two are soulmates.” If Rory & Jess or Dan & Blair aren’t bantering about books & music or movies & art (respectively), then what’s the point? If Linden & Holder aren’t riding around in a car smoking cigarettes, then what are we watching for? And if Rayna & Deacon aren’t writing and playing music together, why should we even care about this show anymore (hint hint)? For Rachel & Tobias, it was always about riding thermals together in their bird morphs, teasing each other in private thought-speak. “The two of you and the two of me.” It was beautiful, and that connection (along with the morphing cube that started it all, the beginning of the end) is what I tried to allude to in this wallpaper.

I’m not sure what’s happening with this new Animorphs movie that they’re supposedly making but I hope they’ll do a good job with finding the right Rachel. She’s by far the most complex character, and therefore the most difficult to cast. In the old TV series, Brooke Nevin was a decent actress, but she was totally wrong for the part.

Anyway, now that this series is done, I’ll probably go back to making wallpapers much less frequently. I have finished a House of Cards one that I’ll post next. And I’m also working on one for the Nashville wedding. I will also go back to working on some new wallpapers for my series finale series.

I was never a huge fan of the Dan/Blair Met steps scene. Too much fluffy pink all around, and Blair’s princess complex was one of my least favorite things about her. But we got some of the best HQ Dair pics from the filming of that scene. I now wish I’d saved more of the photos, because apparently all the old GG fansites where I used to get my Gossip Girl images have closed down. Well, no matter. I managed with what I had. This is the 8th wallpaper in the Sleeping At Last series, using lyrics from “Mercury.” Two more to go!

Next: American Horror Story (Frances Conroy characters), Nashville (Deacon Claybourne), more from the Sleeping At Last/Atlas: Space series.

So far most the wallpapers from this series have been all rainbows and loving sentiments. This one for The Killing got rather dark. Sorry about that. That wasn’t really my intention since they did get a happy ending in the epilogue. But I think I’ve nearly run out of HQ promo pics and stills for this show, and I hadn’t used these yet. That being said, I do really like how the colors turned out, even if the space theme isn’t as obvious. The lyrics here are from the song “Neptune.”

Next: It’s been a while (over 10 years!) since I made a new Michael/Maria wallpaper, but they are the next couple I’m working on for this series. (You might be thinking that I’ve been knocking out these wallpapers at five times my normal pace lately. Unfortunately, that won’t last, especially after this series is over.)

I’m not going to get my hopes up about a Literati endgame for the Gilmore Girls revival. It’s one thing to finish one of your favorite TV series only to discover that not only did it not get a proper ending from the original creator, but your #1 OTP didn’t end up together nor were they allowed any sort of closure. I’m used to that. As I’ve said before, my ships are rarely endgame. But it’s a whole other thing to have to experience that angst twice for one show. Of course, like I said, I will be disappointed if Rory and Jess don’t get another chance because I really do feel that they are soulmates who never had time on their side. But whether or not they end up together romantically, I hope they will be in each other’s lives as friends, because these two should be besties and confidantes. This is the second in my series of wallpapers based on Sleeping At Last songs. The lyrics on this one are from the song “Saturn.”

Summary: The summer after their wedding, Rayna & Deacon finally write that new album together, but as always the best songs are the ones that the rest of the world will never hear.

(So sorry about the huge font. I don’t have time to fix this now.)

…

They’re writing together again, and it’s been a long time coming.

In the grand scheme of their careers and their lives, one little song may not seem like the greatest accomplishment, but to Rayna and Deacon, it feels like everything. For one thing, it’s been forever. When they’d first gotten back together for good, they’d both thought that if he came out of surgery alive—and he would, he had to—their new life as a family would look just like this. That big house filled to every corner with nothing but love and music. Impromptu jam sessions before bed a couple nights a week, sometimes with the girls, sometimes without. Of course, the harsh reality those first few months was that they didn’t see as much of each other as they’d hoped to. Deacon was grieving over his late sister, down in Natchez with Scarlett for a week. Then, Rayna was at the studio 24/7 trying keep the wheels rolling for Markus’ album launch. Meanwhile, Deacon started renovating the bar he maybe never should’ve bought into—but time would tell.

I don’t know why I have such a hard time making Nashville wallpapers that actually turn out as beautiful as I imagined them in my head. This one’s growing on me, but it’s kind of like how none my Supernatural wallpapers have ever worked out how I wanted them to. That’s probably why I never made any more despite constantly claiming I was going to. Anyway, we officially have one month left till Nashville returns for the Rayna/Deacon wedding, so this is a little something to celebrate. I also wrote a one-shot of them writing a song because let’s face it, that’s what I would really love to see them doing together again. The wedding I can take or leave. Anyway, the fanfic is just about finished. Hopefully I will post it later today or tomorrow. The lyrics on this wallpaper are from the song “Sun” by Sleeping At Last. He has a whole album of space-themed songs and I just got a bunch of new starry stock backgrounds to work with, so there will be more where this came from for my other OTPs.

I kind of feel like I’m in shipper heaven right now. Almost none of my shows are even on air at the moment, but in the past week we’ve had the Remy/Jackie snippet in the HOC trailer, a Normero kiss (!!!) in the Bates Motel trailer, new wedding footage in the Nashville promo (as well as Connie & Chip doing a duet and dancing at the Ryman), and some Jimmy/Kim present-day cuteness in the BCS premiere before it all inevitably goes to hell. And let’s not forget Milo revealing that he’s coming back for 3 of the 4 new Gilmore Girls episodes. What a time to be alive! It’s never going to be this good again. Who knows what my next wallpaper will be at this point; let’s just take it as it comes. 😉

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GIANT FAN is a fan art and fan fiction blog and archive created by Susan aka 22umbrellas, currently featuring 200+ desktop wallpapers, 225+ icons (temporarily removed), and 10+ fanfics for numerous fandoms. Feel free to snag desktop wallpapers and icons or avatars for your own personal use, but please do NOT alter them and/or post them elsewhere without my permission.